O'Bannon Creek Golf Club Friday Night League

Every Hole @ O'Bannon Creek Golf Club was a Par Three Friday, June 7th!

2013-06-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

O'Bannon Creek Golf Club's Friday Night Couple's Group was surprised to find the front nine holes of their golf course transformed to a Par Three Course Friday June 7th! No more long par 4's and par 5's, and even the par 3's were shortened. What fun!

Two men negotiated the Par Three course in even par, 27. Ben Basone and Joe Herzog apparently really liked the course set up! Dave Forsthoefel, Wayne Stokes, and Steve Bunn were right behind at 28.

Bridgett Funk and Eve Enders shot 34, followed by Cher Van Houten at 35.

Golf was followed by a great buffet dinner in the clubhouse and several adult beverages. A good time was had by all, maybe too good a time by your's truly, but that too would pass.

The next Friday Night Couple's event at O'Bannon Creek Golf Club, Loveland, OH, is scheduled for Friday, June 21st. Event will be a fun scramble, format yet to be determined.

Four Teams Tie for 1st Place in Best Ball Competition @ O'Bannon Creek Golf Club

2013-05-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

Last night was a really nice evening to play golf. Thanks to the 8 groups of couple;s who came out to play at O'Bannon Creek Golf Club.

The format last night was two best balls of the foursome, 1 for the ladies, 1 for the men. Four teams came in with net scores of 62, Gennaro/Knodle, Miller/Paul, Forsthoefel/Garrison, and Van Houten/Trame. Congratulations to the winning teams and apologies to my team of Kathy Shaut, Walt Wurster, and Kathy Pare. I thought we were also in with a 62 but upon further auditing of the scores today, turns out our team came in with a 64, putting us alone in second place. The winning couples won $15 of Pro Shop credit for their effort last night.

What about those Knodle's--two events, two wins! Not sure rookie league members are supposed to be winning all the time. Congrats Bob and Anne!

Everyone stayed for dinner last night which was nice to see, and most of us were still around until all the teams came in.

Our next event is scheduled for Friday, June 7th. Every hole will be a Par 3! I expect this to be a fun event, and am going to make this a shotgun start, 5:30 PM. Moe has agreed to do a buffet for us that night since we will all be finishing around the same time. So far I've heard from the following couples who won't be able to play: Paul's, Pare's, Gennaro's. Please let me know as soon as possible if you won't be able to play. I'm planning to invite some other couples who aren't in the league to join us that night but want to get a head count of league members before extending invitations to others.

Thanks, everyone, for your participation so far this year. Seems like everyone is having a good time on Friday nights, and that is what it is all about.

Final O'Bannon Creek Golf Club Friday Night League Results

2011-09-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

The season is over, the champions are crowned, somewhere a new league commissioner is getting her agenda ready for 2012, all is right with the world!

The Champions of the 2011 O'Bannon Creek Golf Club Friday Night League are Donna and Steve Bunn! Congratulations, Donna, for putting up with Steve all season and playing well enough to overcome his consistently poor play! Seriously, good job Steve and Donna.

Darlene and Ben Basone finished second followed by Jay and Janet Kuhn. Congratulations on a very good season, Darlene, Ben, Jay, and Janet.

Now, there is some unfinished blogging business from a bit earlier in the season. We (Dave and Kathy Shaut) were playing Ben and Darlene Basone one nice Friday night. On number 8, Ben hit his routine nice drive down the left center of the fairway, and Darlene hit a good drive that ended up in the rough down the right side. Ben dropped Darlene off near her ball with a fairway wood in her hands and proceeded to his ball. Darlene hit her second shot, and then Ben hit a great shot that landed three feet past the hole, spun back, barely missing the hole for an eagle 2, ending up six inches below the hole! Now, Darlene was walking to hit her third shot from about 50 yards, still with her fairway wood in hand since Ben was still so excited about his shot, he drove up to the green, grabbed his putter to tap the birdie in, and apparently forgot about his lovely wife, now getting ready to hit a chip shot with, yes, you guessed it, her fairway wood! Ben, finally waking from his "good shot trance", realized what Darlene had in her hand and said something like why the hell are you hitting a chip shot with a fairway wood. Well, you might imagine what Darlene had to say. I tell you, I've heard some salty language in my day, but had to close my ears! So, next time you see Ben, remind him the world doesn't revolve around him, though he is one of the best golfers at O'Bannon Creek golf Club, and his golf and life partner needs some attention as well.

Some of you weren't able to attend the closing Scramble and Dinner, and missed my final, closing remarks as Commissioner, so, here they are, for your reading pleasure or whatever. Enjoy!

The 2011 Season, Golf and Politics
August 26, 2011

Hello everyone, my name is Dave Shaut and I’m running away from the position of Commissioner of the O’Bannon Creek Golf Club Friday Night Couple's League. However, since I am currently the Commissioner, it is my duty to preside over the closing event, deliver a state of the Union to league members, and present awards to top Scramble and Season performers. So I will happily perform my final duties.

I am pleased to tell y’all, despite the extremely difficult economic times we find ourselves in, the State of the Union of the O’Bannon Creek Golf Club Friday Night Couple’s League is good. Regardless of the constant bickering on both sides of the aisle of the league, the inability of any of you to agree on virtually anything, and only due to my unilateral, benevolent dictatorship, the league is financially sound. I lowered taxes by 50% from $40 per team to $20, the budget is balanced (all revenue has been spent on golf balls and other prizes, mostly for my benefit). I’ve created jobs by getting all of you out here to play golf (if that is what some of you like to call what takes place out on the course) and eat on Friday nights, thus providing revenue for the club, jobs for the employees, profits for our vendors, and generating untold billions in profits, state and local taxes, including social security and medicare, providing many league members with their only means of support and medical care. In addition, I personally promote higher education by selfishly providing direct financial support to our many employees who are full or part-time students via tips--you don’t think I drink because I like to, it is all to support education. I also provide extremely valuable counseling to our many college students, as only someone with my life and professional experience is able to do. I’ve promulgated fair rules (#1 being have fun), listened to your petty complaints and concerns, acted like I cared, then gone off and done what I want to anyway because y’all know I know best!

Now, all these good things don’t come without a cost. The previous regime treated you all like babies. For example, at the closing dinner, which was included in the League Tax--yes, let’s call it what it is, a Tax--he provided all kinds of “FREE” gifts. Let me ask you, is anything really FREE? I think you know the answer to that! But I digress. He “gave” you wine glasses, all kinds of Used golf self-help books (what was he really saying--that you were all bad golfers), and seemingly everyone went home with something. Does that remind any of you of a word that starts with “S”? Socialism? Is that what you want, European Style Socialism here at O’Bannon Creek. I don’t think so, not under my watch, but in a little while, you all can do whatever you want. I suppose some of you would like it if there weren’t any dues here, if just anyone could play any time they want to, or you could walk into the restaurant, eat and drink anything you want for free, if we took the locks of the lockers and anyone could claim any locker they want, you get the picture! Well, those type of “S” word things won’t happen on my watch!

So yes, you have to pay for your own dinner tonight. And, you aren’t all going to walk out of here with a goody bag so you can all go home feeling good about yourselves. I’m not handing out bumper stickers saying “My Wife Is An Honor Golfer in the Friday Night Couple’s League at O’Bannon Creek Golf Club” or “My Husband Scored Net Par on All the Par 3’s at O’Bannon Creek Golf Club”. The only people walking out of here tonight with prizes will have earned them by being the Best of the Best. They know American Golf wasn’t made great through laying around, hoping the government would give them a handout, pay for golf lessons, carry their bag around the course, hit the shots out of the sand traps--you get the picture. The rest of you have a choice--work hard, practice, take lessons, and then just maybe next year walk out of here with one of the hard-earned prizes. Or, you can just lay around, don’t practice, seek pity from others telling them it just isn’t fair that guys like Dave Shaut get all the prizes--we should divide up the prize money equally so we can all have some! Better yet, we shouldn’t have to pay anything to be in the league, and still all get prize money for playing less than mediocre golf! Nope, not while I’m commissioner.

But enough. To summarize, I’m leaving the house in good order, arguably better than I found it. I can only hope you will choose a new leader who will maintain the tough love standards I’ve established. Or, of course, you can go an entirely different direction, elect a new commissioner who will turn all those 7’s, 8’s, 9’s and 10’s into eagles, birdies and pars. You can pick someone who will post all your scores for you instead of making you walk up to the computer and laboriously push all those keys. But if you do make that choice, remember, the cost of all this largess will be borne by your grandchildren and their grandchildren. If you can live with that choice, go for it!

Thank you very much!

Dave “The Ex” Commissioner

All Regular Friday Night League Matches Completed

2011-08-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

The 2011 O'Bannon Creek Golf Club Friday Night Couple's Golf League is now in the books. All regular weekly matches are complete. Tomorrow night, August 26th, the season-ending Scramble and Buffet will be held. I'm not going to tell y'all who won the league but I will tell you it was close to the end. Season-long champions will be crowned during the buffet and closing ceremony.

Here are a few highlights from August 19th matches:

Top Point Winners: Joel and Linda Miller scored the most points last week, 13 1/2. Nice week, Joel and Linda. Several other teams scored 12 points.

Closest to the Pin: Linda Miller was closest to the pin on # 7, and Wayne Stokes was closest to the pin on #5. Interestingly, Wayne birdied #7 and parred #5.

Birdies: In addition to Wayne's birdie, Sandy Garrison birdied #4. Nice job Sandy.

That is all for now. I look forward to seeing most of you tomorrow night. The weather should be great, food will be excellent. Come out, play a little golf, and enjoy the company of fellow league members.

Dave

Bunn's Lead O'Bannon Creek Friday Night Couple's League with One Week to Go

2011-08-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

There is only one week left in the O'Bannon Creek Golf Club Friday Night Couple's League. Donna and Steve Bunn have a narrow, two point lead. They are followed closely by Darlene and Ben Basone, two points back, and Janet and Jay Kuhn are five points back. Darlene and Ben have drawn a forfeit this week, will end the season with 86 1/2 points, so the bar has been set. To beat the Basones, a team needs to end the season at 87 points.

Several teams scored a lot of points last week, led by the Trames with 16 1/2 points, the Basones with 15 1/2 points, and the Bunns with 14 1/2 points. Nice week all!

Nancy Downing was closest to the pin on #7 and Gary Trame was closest on #5. Congratulations!

This week I'm going to focus on players who had a birdie on one or more holes. Lina Stokes birdied #8, yours truly had a birdie in #3, Jerry Paul birdied #4, and Ben Basone through two birdies at me on #'s 8 and 9! Congratulations all!

One more match to go, Friday, August 19th. Please come out and play your match, if at all possible. If you can't play Friday, please make up your matches. A few of you have already told me you won't be able to play--thanks. Remember, there is only one week between Friday's matches and the season finale scramble so let me know by next Wednesday if you aren't able to complete this week's match. That will give me time to get final standings determined before the scramble.

Thanks, Dave

July 22nd O'Bannon Creek Golf Club Friday Night Couple's League Results and Highlights

2011-08-04T18:39:00.000-07:00

I now have complete results for the July 22nd matches. Steve and Donna Bunn lead the pack with 62 points, followed closely by the Randy Lansdell-Debbie Yinling team with 60 points. Ben and Darlene Basone are in third place with 59 points. Several other teams are within 5 or six points so the last two matches are very important. We have a few people out on injured reserve--hope y'all get better soon.

Here are a few highlights (only a few since it is Thursday night and I still have to get the score cards together for tomorrow).

Closest to the Pin: Sandy Garrison was closest to the pin on number 7. Drew Johnson was closest to the pin on number 5. Congratulations Sandy and Drew!

There were several very good scores. As George Carlin used to say when he was the "Hippy Dippy Weather Man with Some Hippy Dippy Weather" about temperatures, here are some scores: 45, 42 33, 35, 34, 29! Seriously, here are some good scores from July 22nd matches.

Ladies: Ann Wurster, gross 40-net 30. Wow, Ann, very good score. Debbie Yingling shot a net 31, Lina Stokes shot a net 35, Janet Lindle and Brookan Gennaro both shot net 37. Nice scoring all!

Men: Dale Lindle, net 31, way to go! Wayne Stokes shot a net 36, Dan Gennaro and "Hub" Hlovchiec both shot net 37.

Okay, so let's all get out and play on the regularly scheduled night if possible, tomorrow and then Friday, August 19th. Remember, there is only one week between the last regular matches and season-ending Scramble August 26th so if you don't play August 19th you need to make up the matches and get me the scorecards no later than Wednesday, August 24th so I can tabulate final results from the season.

Also, I will be sending a separate email asking if you will be playing in the Scramble August 26th. I hope as many of you as possible will join us. Kerry will form teams, two men, two women. You won't be playing with your spouse. We will tee off at 5 PM and a dinner will follow. You will be responsible for dinner. Dinner will be followed by prize presentations. Prizes will be awarded for season long performance as well as for the Scramble winners/top placing teams, etc.

Your September O'Bannon Bill will include a charge of $20 per team to cover season long and Scramble prizes.

See most of you tomorrow night on the course and in the Restaurant.

Dave

July 8th O'Bannon Creek Friday Night Couple's League Update

2011-07-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

Closest to the Pin: Men, #5--Nobody, no man got on the green! Come on, guys, work on your 150 yard shots!
Ladies, #7--Ann Wurster. Ann, nice shot, remind me to give you your prize.

Standings: Steve and Donna Bunn are in 1st place with 52 points after 4 matches. The Gennaro's and Garrision's are tied for second with 48 points, followed very closely by Randy Lansdell and Debbie Yingling with 47 points. Looks like a close run to the finish for these three teams. And, looking ahead, Randy and Debbie scored 13 points in their July 22nd match so they may move up the standings. Oh, and watch out for those Lindle's, they scored 30 points in the last 2 weeks!

Scoring Highlights:
There were a lot of good net scores posted after the July 8th matches.

Ladies: Janet Lindle and BrookAn Gennaro both shot net 33's, 4 under par. Deanna Spatz shot a net 34, 3 under par, Linda Miller shot a net 35, 2 under par, Donna Bunn shot a net 36, one under par, and Kathy Shaut shot (say that 3 times fast) a net 37, even par. Nice rounds, ladies, seems like you would buy us guys some drinks at dinner when y'all play so well.

Men: Randy Lansdell shot a net 33, two under par. Randy, I can see that handicap falling! Four men shot net 34, one under par: Steve Bunn, Gary Trame, Lowell Bowie, and Fred Spatz. Dale Lindle shot a net 35, even par, and my neighbor and buddy Walt Wurster shot a net 36, one over par. And guys, while I'm thinking about it, you can always buy me a drink, or several, whether you shoot a good score or not!

Natural Birdies (not to be confused with unnatural Birdies): There were 4 Natural Birdies, Brookan Gennaro (2 on #5), Bob Pare (2 on #7), Dave Shaut (3 on #1), and Ben Basone (2 on #5). No prize, just honorable mention on this infamous Blog.

Play July 22nd Matches: Please make up July 22nd matches as soon as possible. If you can't/aren't going to make up matches, please let me know the disposition (big word) of the points. I'd like to get the standings updated before the August 5th matches if possible. And, please, try to play the matches on the night scheduled whenever possible, and make reservations for dinner. The restaurant relies on us Friday Night Leaguers as a base of business so please play and eat. And, if your match is canceled, please come out and eat anyway. Thanks for your consideration.

The next scheduled matches are on August 5th. Please do your best to play your matches that evening. Let's finish strong in August, play as many matches as possible on Friday nights.

Dave

June 24th O'Bannon Creek Golf Club Friday Night Couple's Golf League Results

2011-07-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

First, there are two matches from June 24th yet to be played but I want to get most of the results out to all of you today. I will include any highlights (assuming there are some) and will also send out updated standings after all the matches are complete. Also, a disclaimer. Am sure it is hard to believe, but I make mistakes. So, check your scorecards, make sure the handicaps are correct. I do my best to get the cards prepared correctly but I also sometimes (okay, almost all the time) have a glass or two of wine or a glass or two of Blanton's bourbon, the Best Single Barrel Bourbon in the World, while preparing the scorecards. So, mistakes occasionally happen. Same with standings and points scored. Do my best, but if something looks out of wack, let me know, tell me what you think is wrong, and I'll do my best to correct the error. And one more disclaimer, I review all the cards every week looking for highlights, i.e. low scores, good scores on holes, etc. My intention is to say "good job" to players who do well over the whole match or on a certain hole. Again, surely I miss something, so please don't be upset if I don't mention that eagle you scored on number 4! Help me by noting on the score card something outstanding, interesting, or funny that happened during the match.

Standings:

So, after the June 24th matches, Team Bunn is in 1st place with 39.5 points, Team Gennaro is in 2nd place with 37.5 points, and Team Shaut is in 3rd place with 37 points. Team Bunn plays Team Shaut, so there could be some movement at the top this week. Or, Team Basone has a make-up match scheduled Thursday, July 7th, and if they do really well, they could move into the top spot. There are ten teams within ten points so standings are tight.

Weekly Points:

Team Lindle led all teams June 24th, scoring 16 points, followed by Team Ellis with 14.5 points and team Bunn with 14 points. Good job!

Best Scores:

Ladies: Kathy Shaut and Arlene Forsthoefel both shot net 36, one under par. Janet Kuhn shot net 37, even par, and Ann Wurster shot net 38, one over par. Nice rounds, ladies.

Men: Lot's of good scores for the men. Several net 34's, 1 under par--Dave Forsthoefel, Jerry Paul, Randy Lansdell and Steve Bunn. Jay Kuhn and yours truly shot net 35.

Best Holes:

Janet Kuhn had a birdie 2 on #5, great job Janet. Ann Wurster parred numbers 3 and 5. Sandy Garrison parred numbers 3 and 8. And Ruth Paul parred number 7. Jerry Paul birdied #4 and Jeff Garrison birdied #8.

Closest to the Pin:

Randy Lansdell was closest to the pin for men on #5 but he made it clear Janet Kuhn was much closer than he was, as evidenced by Janet's birdie on that hole. Ruth Paul was very close on #7. Good job Randy and Ruth.

July 8th Matches:

Let's hope for good dry, July weather for this week's matches. Looks like weather is going to be good Friday afternoon/evening but who knows, it is summer and we do live in Cincinnati. Kathy and I won't be playing Friday night so leave your score cards with Keith at the bar. I'll gather them over the weekend. And, please try to make up Friday's match if you can't play Friday night.

And hey, let's be careful out there!

Commissioner Dave

June 10th Update

2011-07-02T13:03:00.001-07:00

Okay, just experienced a Blog failure/problem so am going to send this June 10th update as an email. Complete standings are attached for June 10th as well as partial standings through June 24th matches that were played. As soon as all the June 24th matches are completed I'll send an update.

The Basone's led the standings after June 1oth with 27 1/2 points, closely followed by Team Yingling-Lansdell and Team Garrison, each with 26 points. From what I've seen so far of the June 24th matches, there will be some moving around near the top.

Steve Bunn wrote a nice summary of the Bunn-Stokes match. Think he is trying for Commissioner next year. Here is Steve's summary:

Commissioner:

We played our makeup match with our archrivals……….The Stokes.
In the ladies’ match, Donna jumped out to a quick lead with some solid play while Lina was just warming up. Lina found her form on #4 with a bogey. She then scored par on both #5 and #7 only to find both were tied with Donna’s net 3’s. Lina’s solid 5 on #8 brought her within a point when Donna stumbled a bit, missing an 18” putt. But, true to her keen competitive spirit, Donna dug down deep and sealed the match with a sterling score of 5 on the final hole.

On the men’s side, it was a seesaw match with Wayne going 1 up on the 3rd hole when Steve fumbled on the green. The match stayed that way until the 6th when Steve made par, not using his handicap stroke, against Wayne’s bogey. Wayne’s consistency won the 7th with a routine par to gain the advantage again. On the 8th Wayne thought he’d polished off his opponent by hitting a stellar approach to within a foot but watched in angst as Steve answer the call by hitting his approach to within 3 ½ feet of the pin and calmly rolling in the putt to stay 1 down going to the 9th. At the ninth, Wayne’s one-handed pitch shot left him a difficult par putt that failed to drop. Steve’s delicate TWO_HANDED flop shot from the left to a short side pin left a makeable 8 footer that he rolled in for the tie.

It’s always a hotly contested battle when these old, has-beens’ get together!

Scoring:

Steve & Donna Bunn 11 ½

Wayne & Lina Stokes 8 ½

So, Steve is working hard for his money! Send me your summaries of your matches--jump in the fray for 2012 Commissioner!

Finally, O'Bannon Creek Golf Club Friday Night Couple's League Plays Matches

2011-06-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

Well, after several weeks of rained out matches, the 2011 O'Bannon Creek Friday Night Golf League finally is underway. Several matches were played Friday, May 27th, and most others have been made up or otherwise settled. The course is playing hard and fast now so hopefully the exceptionally wet spring conditions are over and we can have summer now!

Here are some highlights from week one:

Darlene and Ben Basone both had good scoring nights. Darlene scored a net 36, one under par, and Ben scored a net 33, 2 under par. Along the way, Ben birdied the # 1 and #3 handicap holes on the course, #3 and #6. Good scoring, Darlene and Ben!

Randy Lansdell shot a net 34, parring hole #'s 1,2,3,8 and 9. Nice round, Randy!

Linda Miller shot a net 36, one under par, and Lina Stokes hot a net 37, level par. Lina parred #'s 1 and 3 along the way.

Dan Gennaro shot a net 34, one under par.

Phil Van Houten birdied the 3-par #5, and was also closest to the pin. Nice shot Phil, and good putt. Next time, why not just sink the first shot, buy us all drinks! Unfortunately, no ladies hit the 3-par #7.

As far as the standings go, the Gennaro and Lansdell-Yingling teams each scored 16 points in week one, followed closely by Team Basone with 15 points.

So, we are off and running for another season. Let's all get out there on Friday nights and have some fun.

Dave

In Case You Weren't At The Closing Event--Here Are The League Winners

2010-09-17T12:44:00.000-07:00

I know a few TGIF Members who weren't able to attend the final event. So, here are the final, unaudited (and don't wait for the audit, because there won't be one) results:

Group 1:

1st Place: Arlene and Dave Forsthoefel, Arlene wins $50 pro shop credit
2nd Place: Janet and Dale Lindle, Janet wins $40 pro shop credit
3rd Place: Lina and Wayne Stokes, Cher and Phil Van Houten, Lina and Cher each win $30 pro shop credit

Group 2:

1st Place: Sandy and Jeff Garrison, Sandy wins $50 pro shop credit
2nd Place: Ruth and Jerry Paul, Ruth wins $40 pro shop credit
3rd Place: Debbie Yingling and Randy Lansdell, Debbie wins $30 pro shop credit

Congratulations to all the winners. Have fun in the pro shop spending your credits. And be sure to tell couples who didn't play this year about all the fabulous prizes so they will want to play next year, when the new commissioner sends out the invitation to sign up!

And, get out there and play some golf! The weather is beautiful, course is recovering from the drought, and the restaurant and pro shop needs your money!

Dave

Results of Closing Event Scramble

2010-09-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

Here are the results of the Closing Event Scramble:

1st: Score, 31. Stu Wilson, Lina Stokes, Kathy Pare, and Janet Kuhn. From what I heard, Stu was hardly a factor but was happy to walk away with the $25 in pro shop credits. Seems Lina Stokes was dropping putts from all over the place and Janet Kuhn was playing so well she didn't want to stop for dinner!

2nd: Score, 32, Won a Scorecard Playoff. Steve Bunn, Jim Downing, Billie Trame and Linda Schiesler. Again, according to Steve Bunn, it was all the ladies, especially on the greens. I saw Billie drop a long birdie putt on #1, and Linda had just dropped one on #9. Each player won $20 in pro shop credit.

3rd: Score, 32. Ben Basone, Dan Gennaro, Doug Taylor, and Sarah Mueller. Don't have any highlights other than that Sarah said she had a really good time with the three guys! Each player won $15 in pro shop credit.

4th: Score, 34, Won a Scorecard Playoff. Jerry Paul, Jay Kuhn, Nancy Downing, and Shirley Smith. No highlights other than Jay is happy to not be playing any more scrambles for a while! Each player won $10 in pro shop credit.

5th: Score, 34. Sandy Garrison, Gary Trame, Mary Ann Wilson, and Kathy Shaut. I heard the entire team played well and got along famously. Each player won $10 in pro shop credit.

Dave

Thanks for a Successful Season and Closing Event

2010-09-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all O'Bannon Creek Golf Club TGIF members for making the season successful. And, thanks for the generous gift of dining at the very fine O'Bannon Creek dining room. Kathy and I will enjoy eating for "free". We had great weather for the closing event, and from all the comments I've heard since, everyone had a good time during the golf and dinner. It was really nice to have Fred and Rita with us for dinner.

Now, despite what some people seem to believe, the golf season is not over. And, the Friday night season doesn't have to be over either! Call a couple, get out there and play. Yes, it is getting dark earlier every day but if you start by 5:30 you can still get nine in before it gets dark. So, get out there and play, then enjoy dinner after.

If you haven't played in a while, you will be pleasantly surprised by how green the course is, especially the fairways. The cooler weather, and ample watering, is bringing the course back. You will be pleasantly surprised!

Again, thanks for a good season and the nice gift you gave Kathy and me. Also, election results for the new commissioner aren't final yet but it looks like Dave Forsthoefel is way ahead of the other three candidates.

Dave

Forsthoefel's Limp Home To Win Group 1 Championship

2010-09-08T04:51:00.000-07:00

More to come, but this is a brief update on the last official league night, August 20th. As most of you know, Kathy and I took a trip to France, had a great time, but I've been a bit behind on a number of things, including posting to this and other blogs.

Dave Forsthoefel gave me this whole sob story about how the Thiel's cheated in the last match, robbing him and Arlene of yet another TGIF Championship. He even wrote his own detailed summary so I could post or read at the closing event dinner (which I will probably do). Anyway, all for naught, since Arlene and Dave did win the Group 1 Championship ( for what that is worth), by 4 points. Dale and Janet Lindle were second with 83 points, followed by two couples tied at 76 points, "Irish" Wayne and "Mississippi" Lina Stokes and Janet and Dale Lindle.

I may fill in some highlights from the final official night of play Friday night during my two hours of comments following dinner!

August 27th, four couples played a little TGIF unofficial event, two best balls of the foursome, one ball from the men, one ball the ladies. The four teams were Paul-Gennaro, Wilson-Smith, Downing-Porter, and Bunn-Lindle. There were some pretty amazing scores and if there was any real money on the line (especially if the money was mine), I'd ask for an audit, and probably referees next time this post season event is held! For those of you not familiar with playing 2-best ball of the foursome events, a score of 5 or 6 under par is very good for nine holes. Anything over that is phenomenal, especially a mixed couples event. But TGIF players are exceptional, as indicated by the following scores:

1. Team Wilson/Smith: 60, 29 for the men, 31 for the ladies, 12 under par (remember, ladies par is 37. Wow!
2. Team Gennaro/Paul: 63, 30 for the men, 33 for the ladies, 9 under par, another very good score.
3. Team Bunn/Lindle: 67, 30 for the men, 37 for the ladies, 5 under par, a winner on most Saturday morning games.
4. Team Downing/Porter: 70, 36 for the men, 34 for the ladies, 2 under par, again, this score would have won the front nine in the Pope Skins game last Saturday morning.

There will be some small recognition for the top two teams in this mini event at the Friday night closing dinner. Seems as though this event was enjoyed by all and we may do this with our full field once or twice next year, depending upon what the new commissioner wants to do.

See y'all Friday night. Scramble starts at 5. Please consider taking a cart, since that makes scrambles move better. As of this morning, we have 44 people signed up for golf, and 47 for dinner, so we will have a nice group.

Dave

Sandy and Jeff Garrison Wrap-Up Group 2 TGIF League Championship!

2010-08-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

The battle came down to the last night. Sandy and Jeff Garrison were in a hotly contested battle for first place with Ruth and Jerry Paul. Throughout the long, hot season, Ruth and Jerry led or shared the lead of the league most weeks since week three. Going into last week's matches, the Paul's trailed the Garrison's by two points. As Kathy and I were starting our match Friday night, Sandy and Jeff were finishing their "match" on number nine, by themselves! Seems they were able to convince Sandy Bowie to move up her hip replacement surgery so the Garrison's could get a forfeit, almost guaranteeing a league championship for Sandy and Jeff! Wow, some people will do almost anything to win! Seriously, Sandy Bowie, hope you are recovering well, and congratulations to Sandy and Jeff!

In addition to winning the championship, Sandy Garrison was closest to the pin on #7, and Jerry Paul was closest on #5. Nice shots, Sandy and Jerry. Sandy, remind me when we see each other next to give you the closest to the pin prize!

Here are some scores from last Friday night: 41, 39, 44, 38, 50, 53, 45, 40, 35, 52, 65, 38 and 64! That was a little tribute to George Carlin and the Hippy Dippy Weather Man--remember him, when he would say here are some temperatures! Funny!

Now, here are some notably good scores from last Friday night:
Kathy Pare, Net 31
Ruth Paul, Net 35
Dave Shaut, 38/Net 33
Kathy Shaut, Net 31
Sandy Garrison, Net 33

Birdies, there were a couple. Dick Wilson, subbing for Ben Basone, had a birdie 3 on #1. And yours truly, had a birdie 2 on #5.

It doesn't seem possible the league season is coming to an end. This Friday night is the last league night for Group 1. I forwarded an email from O'Bannon Creek Golf Club earlier today about the Loveland Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing being held Friday afternoon. Due to the outing, league play will start at 5:30 PM.

And, if you haven't already told me by email (dshaut@gmail.com), let me know if you want to play Friday, August 27th, so I can put a schedule and game together. I need to hear from you by this Friday, August 20th, if you want to play.

Also, please let me know by this Friday, August 20th, if you will be playing in the Closing Event, Friday, September 10th, and having dinner with us. If some of you will only be having dinner, let me know that as well. Thanks.

Dave

Sandy Garrison EAGLES 5-Par #4 Friday, August 6th!

2010-08-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

Sandy Garrison had an Eagle (that's 2 under par) on the 5-par #4 last Friday night in the O'Bannon Creek Golf Club TGIF league. She hit a six iron to the green, right on the money, and it rolled in the hole! Super shot, Sandy. Oh, yeah, she also parred the other two 5-pars, #s 3 and 6, then birdied the 3-par #7. Great round of 36/Net 30, Sandy!

Closest to the Pin: Arlene Forsthoefel was closest on #7, and Bob Pare was closest on #5 (again).

Other Highlights/Good Scores:

Dave Forsthoefel continued his season-long very good play, shooting a net 34, with a birdie on #5.
Phil Van Houten shot a net 35.
Arlene Forsthoefel shot a net 33.
Rick Lewis--was that really Rick Lewis playing and having dinner with Nancy last Friday night--I think it was--shot 35/Net 32, with birdies on #s 1 and 2. Way to go Rick, and nice to see you in town (and in the USA) for a few weeks.
Steve Bunn shot a net 33, as did his opponent last Friday, Bob Pare. Nice rounds, Steve and Bob.
Donna Bunn shot a net 31--wow, way to go, beat the old man!
Kathy Pare shot an even par net 37, nice job Kathy.
Janet Lindle shot a net 32! Great round, Janet.
Deanna Spatz shot a net 35, besting Fred by 1 shot. I think Deanna made Fred pay for dinner!
Lina Stokes continued her season long great scoring, shooting a net 33, parring 2 out of the 3 par fives.
Barb Jordahl shot a net 36, 1 under par. Good job Barb.
Dale Barnes shot a net 33. In the same group with Dale, Mary shot a net 35, and Thelma Porter shot a net 33.

I sent a separate email with the standings through last week. In group 1, Dave and Arlene Forsthoefel are in 1st place with 80 points. Dale and Janet Lindle are in 2nd place with 74 points, and Wayne and Lina Stokes are in 3rd with 66.5 points. Looks like the Forsthoefel's may have 1st place locked up but you never know. Jerry and Ruth Paul and Lowell and Sandy Bowie are tied for 1st place in Group 2 with 61 points each, followed closely by Jeff and Sandy Garrison with 59 points. This group may come right down to the wire!

Tonight is the last official match for Group 2 teams. Doesn't seem possible the season is coming to a close soon.

As announced a couple of weeks ago, the closing scramble/dinner is now scheduled for Friday, September 10th. Some of you have already let me know you will (or won't) be available then. Also, I am going to put together a schedule and event for Friday, August 27th, for those who want to play then. So, I need to know if you will be playing August 27th so I can put the schedule together. Also, please let me know if you will be playing/having dinner with us on September 10th. If you've already sent me an email about these dates/events, you don't have to do anything. If you haven't, please send me an email as soon as possible, but no later than August 20th, so I can make the appropriate plans for both events. My email address is dshaut@gmail.com.

Thanks for your cooperation, stay cool, get out and play some golf!

Dave

RANDY LANSDELL BIRDIED #8

2010-08-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

Tough being commissioner, editor, etc. I've tried really hard this year to focus on accomplishments of ladies on Friday night, TGIF. Was pointed out to me that I made a mistake last week. RANDY LANSDELL SCORED A BIRDIE ON THE 4-PAR, #8, NOT RANDY YINGLING. OOPS! Hey, Debbie and Randy, you just got back from CA, so Lansdell/Yingling, who cares! Anyway, sorry Randy, didn't mean to diss you. Great birdie on 8.

All, if you haven't, remember, let me know if you want to play August 27th. Will be a special event, yet to be determined. Closing event will be September 10th, so let me know if you will be playing the September 10th closing event and having dinner with us.

Dave

Paul's and Bowie's Lead Group 2 Standings with 61 Points

2010-08-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

The Paul's and Bowie's lead the standings of Group 2 in the O'Bannon Creek Golf Club TGIF league with 61 points each. The Garrison's are close behind with 59 points. Looks like a knock-down drag-out battle to the end of the season.

Kathy Shaut Shoots Net 32, 5 under Par July 30th @ O'Bannon Creek Golf Club TGIF League

2010-08-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

Kathy Shaut got off to a rough start last Friday night at O'Bannon Creek Golf Club, in the TGIF Couple's League, scoring a 9, 6, 8, and 7 on the first four holes. That is what happens sometimes on a hot night, when you don't get to warm up, and just go to the 1st tee and hit away (like most of us do all the time). After a bit of a rough start, Kathy parred #5, bogeyed #6, and parred #7 and #8, scoring a 52/net 32. Nice job, honey!

Other low scores last Friday night included: Deanna Spatz, net 33, Donna Bunn, net 35, Sandie Bowie, net 36, Brookan Gennaro, net 37, Robin Anderson, net 36, Darlene Basone, net 35, Shirley Smith, net 37, Debbie Yingling, net 33 and Billie Trame, net 36. Lowell Bowie shot a net 33, Fred Spatz, Dave Forsthoefel and Steve Bunn shot net 34's, and Randy Lansdell and Hub Hlovchiec both shot net 35's. Nice rounds all!

There were 5 birdies, not quite like the birdie fest on July 23rd, but still good. Hub birdied #4, Dave Shaut (yours truly) birdied #5, Brookan Gennaro birdied #7 (from only a few inches), and Dave Forsthoefel and Randy Yingling both birdied #8.

Brookan Gennaro, as noted above, was closest to the pin on #7 and I was closest on #5.

Not sure what was going on two groups behind me but there appeared to be a mob playing #4 when I was on #6. Apparently, next year's commissioner, Dave Forsthoefel, decided to take the rules into his own hands, and allow a six-ome play. Wow, lot's of balls flying around everywhere! Forsthoefel was yelling something to me from the 4th fairway, and there were riding and hand carts traversing the course every which way. Have no idea what to hell he was saying but he seemed happy so that is important. So, I guess next year when Dave is in charge, 6 players will be the minimum and most groups will have at least 8 players, 4 teams. Seems efficient so let's go with it! And Dave was just subbing--can you imagine what he will try to do in his own group tomorrow night. 12-16 players on a hole! Is there no limit to the insanity! Oh my!

See you at O'Bannon Creek--get out there and play some golf!

Forsthoefel's and Paul's In First Place after July 23rd

2010-07-30T12:16:00.000-07:00

Standings Update:

Arlene and Dave Forsthoefel are in 1st place, Group 1, with 67 points. Janet and Dale Lindle are in second place with 63 points, followed by Cher and Phil Van Houten with 58 points. The Forsthoefel's are tough!

In Group 2, Ruth and Jerry Paul are in 1st place with 52 1/2 points, followed by Sandy and Lowell Bowie with 49 1/2 points, and in third place are Sandy and Jeff Garrison with 47 1/2 points. There might be some movement in Group 2 after tonight's matches are posted. The Garrison's and Paul's have already played their match and....you'll have to wait and see who is in first place after tonight.

July 23rd Update:

Individual Highlights:

Dave Forsthoefel shot even par 35, net 30, last Friday night. Way to go Dave--I can see the handicap dropping as I type! Along the way, Dave birdied the 5 par #4. An unfortunate bogey on the 4 par #9 took away the chance for the under par round. As Dave was "going low", he also accumulated 8 points in his match against Dan Gennaro who was subbing for the vacationing Rick Lewis. Not to be outdone, Arlene took 6 1/2 points against Brookan, who was subbing for Nancy Lewis. Arlene shot a net 34, 3 under par.
Birdies: Dale Lindle birdied #7 and Brian Ellis birdied #9. Nice job, guys!
Good Pars: Several ladies parred the tough 5 par #3--Janet Lindle, Brookan Gennaro, Lina Stokes, and Deanna Spatz. Great job. Most guys would take a five on #3 if you gave it to them at the start of the round.
Low Net Scores: There were two net 30's, Dave Forsthoefel and Deanna Spatz. Rita Spata shot a net 33, Arlene Forsthoefel shot a net 34, Kathy Pare and Lina Stokes shot net 35's, and Brookan Gennaro shot a net 36. Fred Spatz and Dale Lindle shot net 34's, and Brian Ellis shot a net 35.

Closest to the Pin: Rita Spata was closest on #7 and Bob Pare was closest on #5. Congratulations! Rita, I'll leave some golf balls for you with the bartender. Pare already picked his up!

Schedule Update/Extension:

Kathy and I are taking a trip to France later in August, meaning we will be out of town at the time of the scheduled closing event. I have checked with O'Bannon and we can postpone the closing event and reschedule it for Friday, September 10th. So, here is the plan. Closing event will be Friday, September 10th, 5:00 PM shotgun, scramble. Since August 27th is now an open evening, I propose an additional evening of league play. Please let me know if you are interested in playing and I'll pair up the teams, put together a schedule for the evening. Teams from both groups are welcome to play--just let me know by email if your team is interested in playing. I'll also send an email separately with the same information. Maybe I'll plan something fun/different from regular league match play for the 27th! So, send me an email, let me know if you are interested in playing Friday, August 27th, and I'll take it from there.

See you at O'Bannon tonight, or soon!

Dave

Mary Ann Wilson and Lowell Bowie Shoot Net 30's July 16th--Great Rounds!

2010-07-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a brief update on last Friday's O'Bannon Creek TGIF Matches. Brief because I'm leaving town for a few days and don't have much time. May elaborate a bit more later, or maybe not!

As noted in the headline, Mary Ann Wilson and Lowell Bowie both shot net 30's Friday night. Way to go Mary Ann and Lowell. Mary Ann was on fire, scoring pars on hole #'s 3, 7, 8 and 9. Lowell just played a good, steady round, 5 shots better than his handicap.

Closest to the Pin: Doug Taylor was closest of all the men on # 5 and Ruth Paul was closest of all the women on # 7. Ruth went on to birdie # 7, nice job!

Other Highlights:

Randy Lansdell started off badly on the 1st 4 holes, going double bogey, double bogey, bogey and bogey, but turned the round around, scoring par on the last five holes. Randy shot gross 41/net 34.
Billie Trame birdied # 9.
Ben Basone birdied # 2.
.Robin Anderson had a nice par on # 5.
Sandy Garrison birdied # 5, after hitting her drive to about 4 feet.
Jerry Paul continued his season-long very good play, scoring 7 pars on his way to a gross 37/net 33.
Susan Taylor parred both par 3's, #'s 5 and 7.
Jay Kuhn shot one of his best rounds of the season, gross 42/net 32, burying Stu Wilson along the way.
Ruth Paul and Susan Taylor both shot net 32's.
Jeff Garrison shot a net 33, and Doug Taylor shot a net 34.

There is one match still to be played but I'll send out the standings as they are in a separate email.

Group 1 plays this week but hey, Group 2 folks, call someone from the league and go out, play nine, have dinner at O'Bannon Creek this Friday night!

See y'all next week!

Dave

O'Bannon Creek Golf Club, TGIF Golf League Results, July 9th, 2010

2010-07-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

Sandy Garrison was on FIRE last Friday night, shooting a gross 36, net 31, 1 under par, scoring 4, count 'em 4, birdies! Wow! Sandy birdied #'s 4, 5, 6, and 9! Great round, Sandy.

Only 4 matches were played Friday night! Ouch! Lot's of people out of town, or had other plans. I know at least one or two matches are going to be made up so please send me your scores, individual and match scores, if you make up a match this week before Friday. I'll wait to update the standings until then. For those of you who did play, I'll send your individual scores to the pro shop today so your handicaps will be updated by the Friday update.

Closest to the Pin, 7/9/2010: #5, Men, Dave Forsthoefel. #7, Women, Sandy Garrison. Dave, don't try to collect yet another set of balls for being closest Friday night, I already gave them to you Saturday. Sandy, I'll give you yours this Friday night when we play.

Match Highlights:

Garrison/Lewis: Rick Lewis continues to be vacationing in Italy, on the Adriatic Coast, so he sent his dad Dick out to play with Nancy last Friday night. Heard that it was Rick and Nancy's anniversary? Congratulations Rick and Nancy. Anyway, Jeff Garrison and Dick had a highly competitive match, ending with Jeff coming out on top 5 to 4. Jeff shot a steady 38, net 34, and Dick was equally steady, shooting a gross 41, net 35. Dick birdied #9, always a treat, since # 9 is a tough green to hit, and depending upon where the pin is, to putt. As already noted, Sandy had a great scoring night, but despite that, Nancy held her own, shooting a net par 37, and getting 3 points for the Lewis team.

Jordahl/Van Houten: Barb apparently was mad at Marlow and sent him alone, out into the high heat and humidity to face the tough team of Phil and Cher Van Houten. Don't know what Marlow did to deserve a trip to the woodshed by himself but Phil and Cher sure gave him all he didn't want! Phil and Cher both shot net 34's, 1 under for Phil and 3 under for Cher, and took 16 1/2 points from Marlow. Boy, if Barb was mad before the match, can't imagine what Marlow got when he went home and reported the results to her!

Forsthoefel/Lindle: Apparently Dale and Janet didn't want to face the heat either. They sent Paul Kenny out by himself to face the tough Forsthoefel tream. He fared a little better than poor Marlow, but still lost to this formidable duo. Dave and Paul battled to a 5 to 4 result, with Dave winning. In his match against the fierce, highly competitive Arlene, Paul was able to eke out a tie. Thanks for filling in, Paul. Did Dave and Arlene make you walk? That is a little inside joke betweek Paul and me!

Ellis/Mueller: Both matches were close, with Sarah getting by Lori 5 to 4 and Brian beating Brad 6 to 3. Lori and Sarah shot scores very close to their handicaps, performing much better than their men-folk, neither of whom came close to shooting net pars! Come on Brad and Brian, pick it up a bit, quit embarassing your wives week after week!

Schiesler/Bunn: Jim Schiesler was sent out by his poor little old self to play Donna and Steve Bunn last Thursday night. Jim, Donna, and Steve got to hole #3 just as the skies opened up and dropped an inch or so of rain on them and the course. I know because I was ahead of them on #6! Nice try, Jim, Donna, and Steve! Thanks for trying to get the match in.

Reminders for This Week:

1. If you couldn't play your match last Friday, try to make it up before this coming Friday. The purpose of the league is to have fun playing with other couples. If you make up a match, let me know your scores by email so I can update the standings and score sheet. Leave your score card in the restaurant with the bartender--I'll pick them up later in the week.

2. For those of you with matches scheduled this Friday, Group 2, please try to play them Friday night, or find subs. I know there aren't a lot of subs but do your best. And, remember, the best source of subs are the couples playing in the opposite group.

3. And, if you are in Group 1, call another couple and come on out to play Friday night!

Dave

June 25th Results, TGIF Golf League Matches, O'Bannon Creek Golf Club

2010-07-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

Here we go, a brief update on the June 25th Matches of the TGIF Couples League.

Low Net Scores:

There were a lot of very good net scores last Friday night. Must have been something in the water, beer, or margaritas! Debbie Yingling and Shirley Smith were on fire, shooting net 34 and 31 respectively. Nice job Debbie and Shirley, but sorry, not enough for low net of the week. Donna Bunn set the course on fire, shooting a 7-under, net 30! Great round, Donna, 4 shots better than your hubbie Steve could muster.

Speaking of Steve, he had to feel pretty good about shooting a gross 38, net 34. May have even dreamed of being mentioned here on this infamous blog by this less than famous blogger. Well Steve, you have been mentioned, twice, but not for having the best net score last Friday night. "Hub" Hlovchiek shot a net 33, Joel Miller shot a net 32, both very nice rounds, but the star of the night for both the men and women was Jerry Paul. Jerry broke his shoulder earlier this year, I think playing soccer with a grandchild, and has been recovering all season. I've had to listen to him complain about his low handicap since he hasn't been able to hit a full tee shot all season. Guess he has recovered since Jerry shot a gross 33, net 29! Jerry birdied #'s 3, 8, and 9 and only had one bogey on #6. Great round Jerry! I think I would have been tempted to play nine more but of course, lights would have been required.

Closest to the Pin:

First, need to mention the closest to the pin winners from the June 11th matches. Jimmy "TT" Schiesler was closest of all the men on #5 and Lina Stokes was closest of all the ladies on #7. Nice job Jim and Lina!

Last Friday night, Randy Lansdell was closest of the men on #5 and Brookan Gennaro hit a lovely shot to about 8 feet on # 7 (I was with her, so know the shot was lovely). Congratulations Randy and Brookan!

This year I'm handing out 3 brand, spanking new golf balls to each Closest to the Pin winner every week. I'll find you or your spouse as soon after the Friday night matches as possible to get your spectacular prize package to you!

Split the Pot/Rally for The Cure Cookies:

The TGIF league members supported O'Bannon Creek Golf Club's Rally for the Cure fun and fund raising efforts by selling Split the Pot tickets and decorated sugar cookies. Thanks to Moe for baking the cookies and Kathy for decorating them. Janet Lindle won the Split the Pot, taking home $60 in Pro Shop Credits. We raised a little over $140 for Rally. Nice job, and thanks.

Standings:

In Group 1, Arlene and Dave Forsthoefel are leading with 41.5 points, but Janet and Dale Lindle are close on their heels with 40 points. Just behind the Lindle's are Nancy and Jim Downing with 39 points.

Group 2 is led by Ruth and Jerry Paul who have accumulated 38.5 points, followed in second place by Brookan and Dan Gennaro who have 35.5 points. Sandy and Jeff Garrison are in 3rd with 34 points.

The Heart of the Season is Upon Us:

Okay, here we go, no breaks from now on! Matches are scheduled for every Friday night from now to the end of the season. This is go time, time for the front runners to run and the chasers to chase. It is going to get ugly out there as all the teams try to win the coveted prizes at the end of the season. I'm keeping it a secret what those prizes will be but trust me, they will be BIG! So play hard, put your game faces on, take no hostages! Every woman and man for themselves, or at least for their team.

4th of July Holiday:

The TGIF offices will be closed over the weekend to celebrate the 4th of July holiday. The Commissioner, yours truly, will be playing as much golf as possible from the time I finish this blog until dark Monday night. And the Mrs. will be playing a fair amount as well. Hope to see y'all out on the course this weekend. Enjoy!
Dave

Wayne Stokes Goes Low Friday Night, Shoots 34, Has 3 Birdies

2010-06-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

Well, clearly heat doesn't bother O'Bannon's Boy from Mississippi, Wayne "Grumpy" Stokes. Wayne shot 34 last night in the O'Bannon Creek Golf Club TGIF Couple's League. He birdied #'s 3, 4, and 8, parred all the rest except #1, where he had a little hiccup. Sure Wayne was saying if I parred #1, would have been a nifty 32! Still a great round, and will probably be the best of the year for the TGIF group. Nice round, Grumpy!

Thanks to everyone who played Friday night. Certainly felt more like mid-July than mid-June, but as we all know, in Cincinnati, you never know what you are going to get in the weather department. The temperature was in the low 90's, with humidity almost to match. Seemed for sure like there would be thunderstorms but they didn't come. Nice for all who decided to come out and play!

We had a couple of forfeits this week. If you aren't going to be able to play, please try to call your opponent to let them know, and also, see if you can find a sub. The best source of subs is usually the couples who play in the opposite group--many will fill in if asked. We also have a short list of subs, and of course anyone in the club can sub for either partner.

The Matches:

Ellis/Pare: So, this was the match of the injured partners. Lori injured her shoulder, probably from doing yard work since Brian is never home, spending almost all his free time at the course. Seems he walks by my house on 17 several times a day! And, Bob Pare is having a bout of back problems. He has some nonsense story about moving his big patio umbrella all by himself and straining something in his back. I think he is just trying to get some attention from Kathy and his friends, having witnessed all the attention Walt Wurster received after his recent back surgery. Anyway, Brian and Kathy showed up, and Jim Schiesler was recruited to play for Bob since Jim's opponents weren't available. Jimmie is always ready to play nine or eighteen. So, off they went, with Brian playing both Kathy and Jim.

I can see from the scorecard that Kathy was feeling sorry for Brian. She took it easy on him, halving the match. She had net pars on #7, 8, and 9 to assure the tie. I'm sure she could have don better on any of those holes, but she wanted to leave Brian's manhood (such as it is) intact. Very nice of you, Kathy! Jim, on the other hand, showed no mercy to Brian. Brian and Jim go way back, and the history isn't all pretty. Jim and Brian used to be partners in the Wednesday night league until Brian told Jim last December he was going to leave the club, and that Jim should find a new partner. So Jim did, partnering no with Dick Pope on Wednesday nights. Right after hearing the Jim found a new partner, suddenly Brian decides to stay at O'Bannon! Talk about going to great lengths to dump an unwanted partner! Jim has forgiven, but will never forget. Friday night, Jim took Brian to the woodshed, beating him 6 1/2 to 3 1/2, and shooting a net 33! Take that, Brian! Brian finished last night's round strong, parring #'s 7, 8, and 9, but it was too little, too late for the match.

Garrison/Lindle: Both these teams played well Friday night, with three of the four players shooting below net par. And Jeff was just one over net par, so very good playing in this group. The Lindle's prevailed in the round, 13 1/2 to 6 1/2. In the men's match, Dale got off to a fast start, taking the 1st two holes. Jeff and Dale split #3, and Jeff came back to win 4 with a very good birdie 4! Dale won the next two holes, and then Jeff and Dale split #'s 8 and 9. Dale shot a net 32, and I can see his handicap dropping like a rock! Sandy and Janet had a close match. They tied the first two holes, then Janet scored a net 4 on #3, and followed that with a net 5 on #4, for a tie with Sandy there. Sandy came back to win #5, Janet won #6, they halved #'s 7 and 8, and Janet won #9. Sandy shot a net 35, and Janet shot a net 34. Sandy parred #'s 1,2,3, 4, 5, 7, and 8! Way to go, Sandy.

Bunn/Spatz: Fred and Deanna Spatz continue to search for the perfect subs. This week Joel and Linda Miller stood in for them, and secured 11 points, just nosing out Steve and Donna. There were very good scores in this group, with all players shooting net par or better! Linda shot a nifty net 33 to Donna's very good net 34, and won the match 6/4. Donna birdied # 8, while Linda was the model of consistency with the exception of a couple of holes. Steve and Joel played to tie, with Steve shooting a gross 38, net 35, and Joel shooting a gross 41, net 33. The guys were putting up some numbers! Steve parred #'s 1, 6, 7, 8, and 9, and birdied #3! Joel parred 1,2,4, and 7! Nice job, all of you players in this group!

Barnes/Stokes: Dave and Carol Conover substituted for Mary and Dale Barnes. Dave played well, parring #'s 2 and 4, shooting a net 36, one over par. As noted earlier though, Wayne was playing unbelievably well, after he got past the 6 on # 1, shooting a gross 34, net 30, and scoring birdies on #'s 3, 4, and 8. Wayne won the match 8/2. Sorry Dave, you just ran into a buzz saw. In the ladies match, it was the other way around, with Carol shooting a net 34, and winning the match with Lina 7/3. Carol and Lina both played very steady rounds, but Carol took advantage of her strokes. Carol and Lina both parred #7, and Carol also parred #9. Lina parred #1, as well as #7, and matched Wayne's birdie 3 on # 8! Nice job Lina.

Thiel/Van Houten: Sylvia and Cher both played very consistently, and ended up halving their match, 5/5. Sylvia won the first hole then Cher went on a three hole winning streak, highlighted by net pars on #'s 3 and 4. The next two holes were halved, then Sylvia won two holes, and the last hole was halved. Mick and Phil had a similar match, but Phil was able to close the door on Mick by winning three consecutive holes in the middle of the round, #'s 5, 6, and 7, to win the match 6 1/2 to 3 1/2. Mick parred #'s 2 and 4, Phil parred #'s 2, 5, and 7.

Lewis/Jordahl: Okay, pay attention here. Rick Lewis is AWOL again, leaving poor Nancy home alone to find golf partners wherever she can. So, Nancy asked Eve Enders to sub for Rick. Not to be outdone, Barb Jordahl decided to get a sub for Marlowe. Barb enlisted Martha O'Neal to play for Marlowe. So it was a match of the ladies! Team Jordahl won the match, 13/7, with both Barb and Martha winning their matches handily. Nancy got off to a bit of a rough start but finished strong, parring #'s 7 and 8. Barb shot a net 37, level par. Eve parred #5, and Martha played very consistently, and was able to use her strokes wisely.

Mueller/Forsthoefel: Kathy and I played nine holes last Monday evening with Randy Lansdell and Debbie Yingling. We really didn't see anyone out on the course until # 9 when we came up behind the Mueller/Forsthoefel match. They were playing early in the week, since they weren't going to be available to play Friday night. The Forsthoefel's won the match 13 1/2 to 6 1/2. Brad and Dave went back and forth, with neither player able to put together any winning streaks, but Dave was able hang in there, and win three holes outright, lose two, and tie the rest for the win. In the ladies match, Arlene won the first four holes, and that was enough to power her on to a win, 7 1/2 to 2 1/2.

We ended up having dinner down the road at Shooters with the Mueller's and Forsthoefel's. There we heard there was some instruction going on during the match. Not sure who was doing the teaching, but there was some effort put in to help Sarah chip a little better. Nice to have friends, Sarah, and from what I heard you were a good student, improving your chipping significantly as the round progressed.

The Downing's and Schiesler's picked up 12 points the easy way, via forfeits.

So, another week of the TGIF League is in the books. Due to our Member-Guest event this coming weekend, The Acomb, there won't be any league play this coming Friday. League play resumes June 25th.

Enjoy!

June 4th Highlights--O'Bannon Creek Golf Club, TGIF Couple's Golf League

2010-06-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

Hlovchiec/Shaut:

Paula and Kathy both shot the same gross score, but Kathy won the match 6 1/2 to 3 1/2. Kathy had her 1st par on #1, sinking a long, 35 or so foot putt. Paula was hitting the ball really well off the tee all night, but struggled a bit with her short game. She did make a nice 4 on #7, and bogeyed #'s 1 and 2. Hub and Dave's match also ended up 6 1/2 to 3 1/2, with Dave winning. Hub finished well, parring #'s 8 and 9. He also parred #'s 4 and 6. Dave played well, shooting a gross 38, net 32. He parred #'s 1, 3, 5, 6, and 8.

Gennaro/Smith:

Jim and Rita Spata substituted for Dan and Brookan against Bill and Shirley Smith. Brookan must have given Rita quite a pep talk because Rita went on a tear, winning 7 holes outright, and halving 2, for 9 to 1 win. She shot a net 30, very nice. Shirley hung in there, had a 4 on # 5, always a good score. Bill Smith did all he could to keep the match as even as possible, winning the match against Jim 6 1/2 to 3 1/2. Bill parred # 7, and shot a net 36. Jim parred #2, and would have had a much better gross and net score had he not run into some trouble on #8.

Downing/Taylor:

Like Rita Spata, Susan Taylor showed up to play last Friday night! Poor Nancy never knew what hit her! Susan won 7 holes, only lost one, and tied the other, on her way to a net 34. Nice job Susan. Nancy did her best but not sure anyone could have beaten Susan in match play last Friday. Nancy had a 4 on # 5, but was clearly a bit off her game. She has been recovering from some back pain, but she played through! Jim held up his end of the bargain, trying to offset the big win by Susan, winning his match with Doug 6 1/2 to 3 1/2. Jim and Doug both shot net 38's, but Jim was able to put up the best scores on enough holes to win. Doug seemed to be playing poker, having 5 6's, a big winner in cards but not generally such a good set of numbers in 9 holes of golf. Doug did par # 7, which is always good.

Kuhn/Paul:

Same story as in the two previous women's matches, Ruth won 8 1/2 to 1 1/2 over Janet, on her way to a net 34. Always nice to be under par. Janet is one of a few ladies in the league this year without an official handicap so is playing with what is probably a too-low handicap. Hopefully that will change soon and her handicap will better reflect where here game is right now. Janet had 5's on both par threes, which is good for a relatively new/infrequent player. Ruth was a model of consistency, throwing up a number of 5's and a 4 on # 7. Jerry and Jay had close match, with Jerry coming out on top 6/4. Jerry matched Ruth with a net 34, and Jay shot his best nine of the year, gross 43, net 33. Jay told me he had a lesson with Kerry last week before the match, and, it looks like it payed off! Nice job, Jay.

Miller/Wilson:

Mary Ann Wilson sent poor Stu out on his own to play the tough Team Miller. Both matches were close, but in the end, the Miller's took both sides. Linda won 6 1/2 to 3 1/2, Joel won 6 to 4. Linda shot a net 36, one under women's par, nice round Linda. Joel also shot a net 36, one under women's par!. Stu birdied #2, nice 3, Stu! Stu also parred the last three holes. But, it wasn't enough to get past the dynamic Miller duo!

Yingling-Lansdell/Bowie:

This match had one of those "kiss your sister" results, a split, with Debbie winning her match against Sandy 6/4 and Lowell winning his match against Randy 6/4. They could have just had dinner, but what fun would that have been! Debbie shot a net 34, and Sandy wasn't far behind with a net 37, both good rounds. Sandy had a 4 on # 5, and Debbie parred # 7, and also claimed the Women's closest to pin award for the night. Randy took the Men's closest to the pin on # 5. Lowell shot a net 32, very strong, and enough to just get by Randy, who shot a net 36, also a good round. Lowell parred #7, and Randy parred #'s 3 and 5.

Basone/Trame:

Tom and Susan Young substituted for Ben and Darlene Basone. Ben and Darlene were off on their way to an Alaskan cruise. Can't wait to hear about the trip! Billie didn't show any sympathy for sub-Susan, winning the match 7/3. Billie was the model of consistency, posting mostly bogeys, and a par on #7, for a net 35. Susan also played well, putting up a net 37. Tom and Gary battled to a draw, 5/5. Tom parred #'s 1, 5, and 6, and Gary posted a lot of bogeys. Their handicaps were the same so it was just a matter of how the scores fell.

Garrison/Sparks-Anderson:

Jack and Robin couldn't play so forfeited the points to Sandy and Jeff. Sandy and Jeff always go out and play a round anyway ( I said play a round, not play around!). I don't have the scorecard from the round but understand Jeff and Sandy both shot under par, but Jeff, as usual, lost to Sandy. And not just net--heard Sandy buried him on the gross score. Way to go Sandy since most men at O'Bannon can't beat Jeff!

So, that's a wrap on last week's matches. See y'all at "The Creek" Get out there and play 18 or 36, but hey, let's be careful out there!

Dave